


Renaissance

by omnisan



Series: Seraph's Saga [25]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Birthday, F/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, gambit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omnisan/pseuds/omnisan
Summary: Guardians don't remember their birthdays before they were guardians. So why not celebrate their rebirth into a guardian as their birthday?Alternatively; Seraph's rebirthday is coming up, so her best friend Beowulf conspires with the Drifter to throw her a surprise party.
Relationships: The Drifter/Female Guardian (Destiny)
Series: Seraph's Saga [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1510769
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Renaissance

**Author's Note:**

> I created my OC Seraph a year ago (or at least officially posted something) September 18th and I wanted to make something special for such an occasion. Happy (re)birthday!

It wasn't often that Beowulf found himself willingly heading down to the Annex alone with more purpose than to just turn in a collection of Umbral Engrams and to use the Prismatic Recaster. Seraph's rebirthday was coming up soon, and he wouldn't be a good friend if he didn't let her boyfriend in on the news, despite how much he'd rather avoid all conversation with the Drifter. As Beowulf descended the stairs, he hoped the lack of other guardians passing by meant there was a Gambit match in progress so the rat wouldn't be around at all. When he turned the corner to enter the Drifter's lair, all his hopes flew out the window. There the man was, standing in the middle of the room on his platform, flicking coin after coin into a pot on a table. When Beowulf caught his eye, the Drifter sneered. 

_ Typical _ , Beowulf thought. 

Beowulf walked to the machines on the left side of the room to do his business, but the silence in the room was stifling and nearly unbearable. Drifter had stopped tossing his coins into the pot and instead opted for silently rolling a coin across his knuckles all while stealing glances at Beowulf. Even without looking at the man, Beowulf could feel eyes boring into him as he recovered items from the engrams. He hated every second of it. But even when he finished, he couldn't just leave. Not yet. 

Beowulf looked up at the Drifter, who was now peering into a coin like a mirror, picking at some food stuck in his teeth all while he pretended to not care about Beowulf's presence. He finally returned the gaze when Beowulf cleared this throat to speak. Drifter waited for him to say something. 

"So…I take it you don't know about Seraph's rebirthday this week, right?" 

The mention of his girlfriend perked the Drifter up. "Her what?" 

"Rebirthday." Beowulf explained. "It's the day a guardian is brought back to life by a ghost, since they don't remember their original birthday." 

"Why do I feel like you're bullshitting me?" 

"I'm not, but if you'd rather not believe me, you can deal with the consequences alone."

"Alright, alright, alright. You got plans for it?" Drifter asked. 

Beowulf was thankful for his helmet making it impossible for Drifter to see his blank expression. "Not really…" 

"What do you mean, 'not really'? It's her birthday." 

"Rebirthday." Beowulf corrected him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Semantics." 

"I don't make plans for it. Not really." Beowulf confessed with a shrug. "I give her a gift, some candy or baked goods, and then if she wants to do anything, I follow without complaint." 

"Oh, no. That's not how Drifter does it." Drifter said, a wicked smile growing on his face.

Beowulf didn't like that look. That meant he already had something brewing up his sleeve. Something he most likely wasn't prepared for. 

"If it's her birthday, we'll throw her a birthday party. Here." Drifter said, already planning everything in his head as he spoke. 

"I don't think—"

"You don't have to." Drifter interrupted Beowulf. "I have this all under control." 

"That's what's concerning." Beowulf mumbled to himself.

It was clear to Beowulf that he just wasn't getting through to the Drifter anymore. He seemed to be lost in thought, already planning things out, so Beowulf decided to leave. It was for the better, he figured. He'd be back later. 

Beowulf hated any time spent around the Drifter, but with bringing up Seraph's rebirthday, the two of them had to essentially become best friends for a week as planning ensued. That also meant Beowulf was spending more time than he'd prefer in the dark, cramped area of the Annex that Drifter laid claim to. 

"A table here for cake and sweets, maybe some other snacks. Then over here I can set up a full liquor bar. We need balloons and decorations…" Drifter rambled on.

"I never would've taken you for someone who likes to decorate." Beowulf said as he made a mental note of all the things Drifter was mentioning they needed to obtain.

"I don't, but it's my angel we're talking about here." 

"Seriously?" Beowulf asked. 

"What?" 

"I didn't peg you to be one to use pet names either." 

"You don't know me, snitch." 

Beowulf ignored the name directed at him and carried on. "Won't it be odd to have a party here? In the open?" 

"What's a party if there's only three people? Besides, the more the merrier, right? With all the shit going on in the system right now, a party is a perfect distraction. It'll be marvelous." 

"What about Gambit?" 

Drifter shrugged. "Just won't do it that day." 

"I'll probably be able to distract her with something else to give you enough time to set everything up since you can't hide or set up anything here until the day of." 

"We can store stuff in these boxes over here until then. She'll have no idea." 

_ I just hope she'll like it _ , Beowulf said to himself. 

Out of the several years they've been friends, he'd never done something like this for her, let alone  _ thought _ about doing something like this. Throwing a party was not something guardians had time for. It wasn't reasonable. But Drifter was Drifter and would do what he wanted whether the Vanguard liked it or not. 

Beowulf was suddenly torn from his thoughts as a group of guardians walked into Drifter's lair looking for a Gambit match. 

"Hey hammerhead." Drifter got Beowulf's attention before transmatting away, "Go get the stuff for me, eh? Looks like I'll be busy for a while." 

Drifter and the guardians disappeared and Beowulf was left alone in the Annex. "I should've never said anything." 

Walking around the city in full armor as a Titan didn't really bother or surprise anyone. He still got plenty of looks from onlookers and passerbys. It was nothing unusual for Beowulf. However, he really felt out of his element in the party store. It was possibly one of the last places you'd expect a Titan to be, yet here he was. The stares were now lingering too long for his liking as he looked at a wall of balloons. 

"Mommy why is a Titan here?" 

The mother glanced at the basket full of birthday party supplies and then back at Beowulf. "I'm not sure honey. Let's just leave him be." 

Beowulf felt out of his element here. Quickly he grabbed a bunch of balloons and went up to the checkout lane. More stares. 

The woman at the register looked up at him with surprise, awe, and a little bit of confusion, "Uh, is this all for you today, sir?" 

"I need a helium tank as well." 

"Of course. We normally have them delivered…"

"Not necessary." 

"Um. Okay." 

The woman unlocked the closet the tanks were stored in and then looked at Beowulf. He dropped more than enough glimmer on the counter to pay for everything before taking the bag of items in one hand and easily picking up the helium tank in the other. 

"Have a good day!" The woman said as he left.

Phase one complete. Now he just had to get back to the tower with no other hiccups. 

"Beo! Can we pretty please do some Gambit today?" 

Seraph contacted her friend through their ghosts just as Beowulf dropped off the goodies for the surprise party. Perfect timing.

"I can meet you there." 

"Yes!"

Since Beowulf was already in the Annex and Drifter was still away with other guardians for Gambit, he leaned against the wall as he waited for his friend, which wasn't long.

"Aw, he's not even here." 

"I think there's a match in progress." 

Seraph jumped. "I didn't know you were here already. You scared me, hiding in the shadows like that." 

Beowulf chuckled. "Not my fault it's dark in here."

Suddenly Drifter came back, transmatting with a few other guardians that didn't take off right away. He noticed Beowulf first and then Seraph, scowling before turning it into a smile. Seraph smiled bigger seeing her boyfriend, yet kept her feelings on the down low while the other guardians were around.

"Another round, fellas?" Drifter asked, trying to entice the guardians.

"Hell yeah, I'm in."

The others agreed, yet there wasn't enough for a full team on either side. Drifter gave them the option to go in on teams of 3, or to wait for other guardians to show up. They collectively decided 3 versus 3 would be interesting and all transmatted to the Derelict. 

"This should be interesting." Drifter smirked. 

"Have you ever lost a game?" 

"A few." Seraph smiled.

The 3 versus 3 situation did turn out to be something rather interesting, both to watch and play a part in. Seraph and her team managed to pull yet another win thanks to Seraph invading and sniping the entire team to restore their primeval's health while her team unleashed everything they had on their own. She had already made a bit of a name for herself with how good she was at Gambit, yet people still loved to play with her. 

"Come join us for some Crucible matches." 

"Maybe next time." 

Eventually the guardians dispersed, leaving just Drifter, Seraph, and Beowulf. Beo knew when his presence was unwanted, but he still needed to talk to Drifter about the party. He hesitated in the doorway for a moment before deciding to just return at a later point. They still had a couple of days before the party. 

"I hope you've gotten everything you claim you need for this party. It is tomorrow."

"Don't worry. Drifter's got it all under control." 

Beowulf hated when Drifter spoke about himself in third person. It wasn't normal. Beowulf turned in his last remaining umbral engram and decided to end the small talk.

"See you tomorrow then." 

"Can I convince you to do some Iron Banner with me?" 

Seraph made an unpleasant face, "Do I have to?" 

"If you do, I promise to do some Gambit with you afterwards." 

"Okay, fine. But don't expect me to dominate the opposing team." 

Beowulf smiled behind his helmet. His ghost, Cobalt, sent Drifter a message to tell him it was go-time. Now Beowulf had to stall just long enough for Drifter to prepare the Annex for the party. 

A few matches into Iron Banner and things had gone well. Almost too well. However, he still needed more time but Seraph's willingness to continue was wearing thin. 

"One more match." Beowulf pleaded. "Think of it as retribution for all the Gambit you've dragged me into." 

Seraph sighed, but agreed to one more game. 

Their game was going as well as all the previous games, but that meant it would end just as quickly. Beowulf was growing desperate to stall for more time. 

"I hate to do this, but I need you to contact the other team and ask for their cooperation." 

"Give me a moment." Cobalt said before disappearing. 

Beowulf wasn't usually one to hide or camp, but he waited to hear a response from Cobalt.

"They agreed to help stall under two conditions." 

"Which are?" 

"Give them the win and let them come to the party." 

"I—okay. Whatever." He took what he could get. 

"Damn, we lost. And we started out so strong, too." 

"Unfortunate." Beowulf said. "Let's stop at the postmaster before Gambit." 

"I'm kinda hungry too. Do you wanna get lunch?" 

"Do you want to see if Drifter wants to get something with us?" 

Seraph stopped walking. "Did you just…invite Drifter to hang out with us?" 

"Yes?" 

Seraph smiled. "I'm glad you two are getting along better." 

The two went down the stairs to the Annex, Beowulf behind Seraph. Beowulf never got any responses from Drifter about the party, so he could only hope it was all ready for Seraph. They turned the corner.

"Happy rebirthday!" 

Seraph jumped back in surprise. Beowulf himself was surprised Drifter had gathered so many people, although some guardians he recognized as the ones he asked for cooperation. The rest he was unsure about. Drifter stepped forward from the small crowd, arms open to embrace Seraph.

"Did you do all this for me?" She asked him as they hugged.

"Actually, I can't take all the credit, even though I'd like to." Drifter said, glancing over at Beowulf. 

"Are you kidding me? I had no idea! You guys are seriously the best." 

"Well," Drifter asked. "Let's get this party started shall we?"

Drifter waved a hand and someone turned on a music player to get the party vibes going. He also pointed out the tables of snacks and sweets, and another one he set up for presents, though there were only a few from him and Beowulf. 

"Ooo is that cake?" Seraph pointed to the table. 

Drifter nodded and she went over and cut herself the biggest slice of cake. Her expression was priceless. 

"This is so good. Beo come have some!" 

Everyone began to flock around the snacks and sweets tables and engaged in conversation with each other. Seraph even talked to the guardians she and Beowulf just battled against in Iron Banner. The longer they all talked and had fun, the more people started showing up expecting to do Gambit but instead stayed for the party.

Beowulf let Seraph mingle with her random guests and stayed off to the side. That's when he saw a figure slowly walk towards them from the hallway.

"Ada?" Beowulf asked.

"I heard music." 

"It's my friend Seraph's rebirthday today. We're throwing her a party. You're welcome to join." 

Ada stayed quiet near Beowulf and watched the guardians for a moment. "Which one is Seraph?" 

Beowulf pointed out his friend and Ada nodded. She watched as the other guardians surrounded her wished her a happy rebirthday before clinking drinks together and sharing laughs. 

"Will you wish her a happy rebirthday for me?" Ada suddenly asked, turning to Beowulf.

"Sure." 

Ada nodded in thanks and returned from whence she came. Beowulf made a mental note to tell Seraph later that Ada had wished her well. For now he decided to grab a drink. Seraph was already a couple drinks deep, dancing and laughing with the guardians around her. It made Beowulf happy to see her smile and laugh. 

Drifter nudged him. "Not too shabby, eh?" 

"Not too shabby." Beowulf agreed, and offered a drink. "Cheers." 

There were no problems or hook-ups with the party. Everything was going smoothly and Seraph was having a blast. Many faces had come and gone, and some had gone and returned for the fun. Then Seraph noticed Hawthorne's face at the entrance of the room. 

"What are you doing here?" Seraph asked with a smile, happy to see another familiar face.

"Hey guardian. I heard music, are we having a party?" 

"It's my rebirthday."

"I knew something was going on!" She smiled. "Happy rebirthday!"

Seraph pointed out the food and drink table and Hawthorne wasted no time to dig in and officially join the party. 

With all the fun and excitement, Seraph hardly realized how much time had passed since it started. She eventually excused herself away from all the people to find Drifter at his usual platform, a whiskey in hand. 

"You enjoying yourself?" He asked her. 

"Very much. Thank you for all this." 

"I wouldn't have had a clue without your friend telling me it was your birthday." 

"Rebirthday." 

Drifter playfully glared at her but didn't say anything more. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. A slight hush fell over the room and Seraph thought it was because of them, but she was wrong. Ikora now stood in the doorway watching them. Seraph quickly became flustered.

"Ikora." 

"Guardian." She nodded. "A party?" 

"It's my rebirthday." 

"Happy rebirthday. I'm glad to see so many guardians enjoying themselves. A party is what they needed." 

"Um, do you want some cake or anything?" 

"No, thank you. I saw Hawthorne leave her post but she never came back. I was just curious. Have a wonderful day." 

Ikora parted and Seraph finally let out a breath.

"Well that was awkward." Drifter chuckled. "I'm gonna need another drink after that." 

"Beo you lied to me!" Seraph pouted.

"About what?"

"I realized you said we'd do Gambit, but you lied because we didn't!"

"Because it's your rebirthday and we wanted to surprise you. Besides, I think you're a little too drunk for Gambit." 

"Nonsense!" Drifter said, clapping Beowulf's back. 

"Come on, B." 

Beowulf was being peer pressured but still didn't think Gambit was a good idea. "Why don't you open your presents first?" 

"Then we can do Gambit?" Seraph looked between Beowulf and Drifter hopefully.

Beowulf now looked between Seraph and Drifter. "I guess." 

Some guardians that had come to enjoy the party thought it was rude to not give Seraph a little something, so a jar of glimmer had started slowly growing. Next to it were two wrapped boxes, one from Beowulf and one from Drifter. Beowulf always gave her a new weapon, this year her present being Bite of the Fox, an Iron Banner sniper. He knew she was an excellent shot and sniping was part of her expertise. Drifter gifted her a full set of Moonfang-X7 armor. Drifter assured her the rest would come later. The fact that she was drunk hid the additional blush since her face was already tinted red. 

"Now let's have some Gambit fun." Drifter smirked.

Enough guardians from the party agreed to join in the drunken Gambit game to form two debatable evenly matched teams.

"Oh this is gonna be fun." Drifter chuckled, tossing a join into the air before kicking it back up off his boot to catch it. "Scorn on the field. Buckle up."

Seraph could've sworn he winked at her before everyone was transmatted into the arena. They were on the Emerald Coast in the EDZ, a beautiful location.

"Enemies in ruins." Drifter told Seraph's team over comms. 

They all ran across the arena, over and under the bank to get to ruins. But when they got there, a surprise was waiting for them. All of the enemies were Screebs. As soon as eye contact was made, they ran towards each other. 

"Oh what the hell?" A teammate yelled in question as he was bombarded by several exploding screeb. 

"Teammate down." Ezekiel said in Seraph's ear.

She looked over in the other direction to see her other random teammate already down from the screeb. Beowulf was already on his way to help them get up. Seraph took the moment to find a higher platform to take her new sniper to and knock out the screebs. Except she was drunk and couldn't focus well. Her first shot missed. Her second shot hit a screeb in the leg, but wasn't enough to kill it. This was going to be a long match.

The team could barely stay alive long enough to collect and bank any motes. Grenades helped kill groups of screeb and Seraph's less-than-usual sniping accuracy were the only things that got them through the round. Once Seraph's team managed to get enough motes to open the portal to the opposing team, Seraph called dibs on going. When she got to the other team, they were doing no better than her own. In a way it was funny. Seraph barely managed two kills and watched as another opponent went down from screeb explosions. She was pulled out, laughing. She heard Drifter chuckle in hear ear over comms. 

After a long, gruesome round, Seraph's team managed to collect and bank enough motes to summon their primeval. But what appeared on the bank took everyone by surprise.

"What the hell is that?"

"A…shadow thrall? But huge?"

"Is that normal or am I just that drunk?"

"I see it too."

"Well this will be easy."

A teammate ran up to the thrall, expecting to melee it to death but was unpleasantly surprised when it smacked him into oblivion, killing him instantly.

"Teammate down." Ezekiel chimed, stating the obvious.

"Great." 

This primeval battle wouldn't be a simple walk in the park. They would have to give it their all, just like any other primeval battle. 

"Opposing team's primeval is up!" Drifter yelled with excitement. 

"Let's give it our all." Seraph told her teammates. 

It was her rebirthday. Of course she wanted to win. But she wanted a real fight, not handed a win. Everyone pulled out their heavy weapons, grenades, and used supers to melt the incredibly large and powerful thrall. 

"How is it still standing?" Someone asked.

Seraph just kept putting bullet after bullet into the primeval until her golden gun was ready. One powerful shot directly to the core of the thrall and it finally staggered before vanishing. They killed it. Seraph killed it.

Drifter pulled them all back onto the Derelict where Seraph's team celebrated. But that was only round one.

"I say we call that a win for the books, eh?" Drifter asked from his podium.

"What about a second round?"

"Consider it a novelty match. A one of a kind for a special lady on her special day." Drifter winked at Seraph. 

Everyone wished her a happy rebirthday before transmatting back to wherever they decided to go after Gambit. Beowulf lingered until Seraph hugged him and thanked him for a great and surprising day. But now she was exhausted and wanted to rest. 

Drifter scooped her up like it was nothing and carried her across steel walkways and through hallways until they made it into his tiny box of a room. He gently laid Seraph down where she mumbled something into a pillow before her armor disappeared from her body.

"Tired?" Drifter asked as he removed his coat and weapons from his person.

"Come here." 

When most of his clothes were removed, he finally joined Seraph where she cuddled up to him, already half asleep.

"Lightweight." He chuckled.

Seraph slowly opened her eyes, "Where's the rest of my present?" 

"Later."

"You said that earlier."

"And I stick to my word. You're drunk and I'm not going to take advantage of that." 

Seraph hummed in acknowledgement. The rest of her present would come eventually. Besides, she was too tired to go anything else at the moment. Drifter kissed her head and let her drift off to sleep. 

Now he had time to think of how to top himself for next year's party. 


End file.
